Armor for vessels



(No Model.)

W. YN. LE PAGE.

ARMOR POR VESSELS, FORTS, m.

Patented Mar. 24, 1885t //V E/VTOH ATTORNEY Unirse STaTns PATENT @TriceVILLIAM NELSON LE PAGE, GF SAN FRANCISCO, GALIFORYIA.

ARMOR FSR VESSELS, FGRTS, 86C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,455, dated March24.-, 1885.

(Xo model.)

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Wrrmrnir I?. Iii. Patin, of San Francisco, in thecounty of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Armor for Vessels, Forts, die.; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact 'descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art tovwhich it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in armor for ships, batteries,Sac.

It is well known that a shot will not penetrate a yielding obstructionas readily it will a rigid one, and for this reason springs of differentforms have hitherto been interposed between the plates and hull of avessel,

or between the plates themselves, to admit of f their yielding` whenstruck by a eannonshot. It is also well known that hardness combinedwith toughness of fiber tends to render asolid the most impenetrable.

rlhe object of my present invention is to provide an armor which shallcombine the advantages of a yielding, hard, and tough armor, and whichis therefore well adapted to protect ships, batteries, and forts againstthe destructive action of missiles.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view of aportionofthe armor; and Fig. 2 represents a vertical cross-section of a vesselprovided with the armor.

The gist of my invention consists in an mor formed ofthe desiredthickness by alternating one, two, or more layers of plates const-ructedof iron, steel, or other suitable material, with a cement or compositionof a pari ticular nature, covering the outside with a plate of chilledsteel, and interposing springs between the hull and the plating thusformed.

A represents one, two, or more layers of iron or steel plates, or theplates may be formed of other suitable material,bolted firmly together.The number of layers is preferably three. B represents a layer of cementor coinposition resting in close contact with the out side ofthe layersA, and composed of asbestus,

wool or hair, cork, and glue. The glue preferred is Le Pages Liquid FishGlue.7 On the outside of the layer of cement a second series of layers,A', similar to the layers A, are secured, then asecond layer of cement,B, and

so on until the thickness is sufficient to withstand any shock which thearmor is liable toY A wise secured to the sides of a vessel, or fac-e ofa battery or fort.

rllhe shot striking the chilled-steel coating obliquel y will glance,the hardness ofthe metal and the yielding of the armor preventing itfrom gaining any hold thereon. The shot striking the armor at rightangles thereto will be seriously obstructed in penetrating the steelcoating, and in penetrating the layers of plates beneath it will be moreeffectually obstructed on account of the ement, which prevents theplates from fi ying in pieces, and offers great resistance in itself onaccount of its combined hard fibrous and elastic nature. In addition tothe effectual resistance thus 0btained, the yielding of the outerportion of the armor by the compression of the heavy springs serves toprevent great penetration, and the shot is brought to rest before itreaches the hull of the boat or face of the battery, fort, 85e. Thelayers of cement, furthermore, prevent the plates from cracking for agreat distance when struck, and, in case of vessels, prevent the waterfrom reaching the side of the hull through cracks or breaks in the outerlayers of armor, and the armor, as a whole, is much lighter than armorshitherto constructed having the saine resistance.

I do not wish to limit myself to any particlar number of layers in aplate-section, nor to any particular material, nor to any particularthickness of plates or cement, as in some instances I may find itadvisable to use a great number of thin layers of plates of differentmaterials; and it is evident that other arrange- IOO ments of the layersthan those shown might be l ing of a series of metal plates and aninterresorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with an armor for vessels, forts, 85e., consisting,essentially, of alternate layers of metal plates and cement, of springsinterposed between the armor and the hull or other surface to beprotected, substantially as set forth.

2. An armor for vessels, forts, Svc., consisting, essentially, ofalternate layers of plates and cement, having an outside covering ofchilled steel and a backing composed of springs, substantially as setforth.

3. An armor for vessels, forts, Suc., consistposed filling of cement,the latter being composed of asbestus, wool or hair, and glue.

4:. In an armor for vessels, forts, 8vo., the combination, With a layerof cement composed of asbestus, Wool or hair, cork, and glue, of layersof plates located on the outside and inside of the layer of cement, ayielding backing, and a chilled-steel face, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specication in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM NELSON` LE PAGE.

Witnesses:

LINCOLN SONNTAG, OHAs. SONNTAG.

